Mirrored tableware tricks brain to change eating habits

Innovative tableware could change the way we view food and help reduce portion sizes.

A UK startup has come up with a piece of kit that makes your plate look twice as full with food. Studio Playfool, a studio that twists context in playful ways for a better cause, are hoping their creation could help a global challenge. Using visual trickery, the mirrored tableware, Half/Full, shows a mirrored image of exactly what is on the plate, tricking the mind into thinking you’ve eaten double what was originally there. As well as a mirrored plate, there’s also a cup and cutlery featured as part of the range, so users are able to take part in any meal of the day.

The inventors behind this innovation, are Daniel Coppen and Saki Maruyama. Daniel uses his expertise in engineering and creativity to explore playfulness in everyday lives. Whilst Saki, with a background in law, urban planning and art, studies playful urban interventions. The pair, who are students from the Royal College of Art, are aiming to change peoples’ appetites and attitudes to food, especially with certain foods becoming harder and harder to produce for the masses. By tackling the looming food shortages, this invention is one way to plan for the future. It could also be used for weightloss treatment.

Other innovators are also planning for the future. In Denmark, CasusGrill have come up with an eco-friendly BBQ that is both disposable as it is made from cardboard and also retains heat for 60 minutes after being lit. It’s an all round improvement on the aluminium traditional BBQs and cuts waste right down. With more inventions like this coming to the fore, this could be a massive boost for the global waste challenge.